Carton divider construction



Jan. 10, 1967 R.J. CONTRATTO CARTON DIVIDER CONSTRUCTION Filed July 8, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M v v Jan. 10, 1967 R. J. CONTRATTO 3,297,228

CARTON DIVIDER CONSTRUCTION Filed July 8, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,297,228 CARTON DlVllDER CONSTRUCTION Robert J. Contratto, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to St. Regis Paper Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed July 8, 1965, Ser. No. 470,360 3 Claims. (Cl. 22927) This invention relates to folding cartons, and blanks of sheet material for forming same, and more particularly to features for forming integral divider partitions in such cartons.

In accordance with the present invention, a novel form of carton blank is made possible, formed, if desired, of one piece of sheet material (although not necessarily so) and the formation being such that, upon erecting the carton, one or more transverse dividers or partitions will come into operative position substantially automatically.

Various further and more specific objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the description given below, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example preferred forms of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of carton blank cut or shaped of sheet material, such as paperboard, in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the same blank with portions thereof in partially erected positions;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a carton formed of such blank in erected condition, but with the cover open;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the same with the cover closed; and

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawings in further detail, the blank in the particular form shown in FIG. 1, may comprise a single sheet of paperboard or other desired type of sheet material, for example plastic material, and which, if desired, may be a laminate of two or more sheets. As viewed in this figure, the sheet material is so cut as to provide a cover panel 10, one side wall panel 11, a bottom panel 12, and an opposite side wall panel at 13. At the ends of these panels, closure flaps of any desired suitable known or conventional type may be provided, as indicated at 14, 15, 16, 17, for closing each end of the carton when erected, by suitably folding same into closing .and locking relationship in a conventional way, as indicated at one end of the carton in FIG. 3. The forward edge of the cover panel may be provided with a depending flap as at 18, having a suitable form of locking tab, such as shown at 19, adapted to be engaged in a slot, as at 20, formed in the wall panel 13, in order to retain the cover in closed position.

The upper edge 21 of the wall panel 13 may, as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 1, be formed integrally with extension portions, as at 22 and 23, which may be folded -over in the direction indicated by the arrows 24 and 25 to the full line positions shown in this figure, and so as initially to lie generally flatwise on the inner surface of the wall panel 13 and partially on the bottom panel 12. Each of these extensions is formed with two portions 26, 27, which, if desired, may be glued or otherwise permanently aifixed respectively to the wall panel 13 and the bottom panel 12. Also, each of these extensions has at least two other portions as at 28, 29, which are normally not adhered or aifixed over their surfaces to the wall and bottom panels of the carton, but may normally tend to spring up somewhat from fiatwise positions with respect to the wall 13 and bottom 12, in the manner indicated in FIG. 1.

From a predetermined point indicated at 30, a perforated or otherwise weakened fold line 31 extends crosswise of the panels and vertically (in the set-up carton) from such point to the top edge of the carton wall 13. From the same point 30, another weakened fold line 32 extends along on fold line 33 at which the bottom panel 12 adjoins the wall panel 13. Incidentally, the bottom panel may adjoin the other wall panel 11 along a crease or fold line 34, whereas the cover panel 10 may adjoin the wall panel 11 along a precreased line 35, and a precreased line 36 may be located at the juncture of the cover panel with the depending flap 18. Referring now again to the point 30, another perforated or otherwise weakened crease or fold line 37 extends diagonally from this point preferably in a direction of about 45 to the fold line 32, and thus also at about 45 to the line 31.

As the result of this construction and the way in which the weakened or precreased fold lines are positioned, when the side wall 13 of the carton is folded up to vertical position with respect to the bottom panel 12, as shown in FIG. 2, then the portions 28 will ordinarily automatically swing in the direction indicated by the arrows 44 into positions transversely ofthe space within the carton being formed, so as to provide partitions or dividers for such space. 'If these portions 28 initially are in positions directed somewhat upwardly from the wall panel 13, as shown in FIG. 1, then they will entirely automatically move to the positions shown in FIG. 2, but if desired, to insure that they will easily start to assume such positions, the wall panel 13 may be formed with a thumb-cut portion, as at 41, so that a persons finger placed at that area may be used to deflect the portions 28 upwardly and then, as the wall portion 13 assumes a vertical position, the portions 28 will also assume the vertical positions transverse of the carton space, just as shown in FIG. 2. This positioning of the portions 28 results from the fact that the portions 29 are connected to the portions 27 (and extensions thereof at 27') along the angularly positioned fold lines 37, and so that, as the portions 29 become folded up and over and down again against the bottom panel 12, they will pull the portions 28 to their desired vertical positions, by reason of the fact that the portions 28 and 29 are connected by the crease line 32.

It will be understood that the two partition portions 28, 28 may be alike in construction and supported by like parts, except that, as appears in FIG. 1, these two portions and their related parts are directed oppositely in the particular form shown, one toward the right and the other toward the left as here viewed. However, it will be understood that, if desired, the carton may contain either one, two or more of such partitions, and in case a plurality is used, same may be directed either in the same direction, or oppositely as shown in FIG. 1.

Either before or after the transverse partition or divider portions 28 are brought into their operative positions, as shown in FIG. 2, the other wall panel 11 may be raised to vertical position, and the cover panel 10 may be brought to closed position in a conventional manner when desired. Meanwhile, also the end closure flaps may be folded into closed and locked relationship at appropriate times, in the conventional way.

The relationship of the dividers or partitions 28 to the other parts when the carton is set up, may be more clearly understood from the horizontal sectional view of FIG. 5. It may here be noted that the portions 27 (which preferably are adhered to the bottom panel 11) have extensions, preferably triangular in form as indicated at 27', which remain flat against the bottom of the carton when erected, and these portions 27' may or may not, if desired, be adhered to the bottom panel, and in fact the portions 27 may not necessarily be thus adhered, and in some cases neither need the portions 26 be adhered to the carton wall panel 13, if the parts are adequately precreased so as properly to move to their desired positions when setting up the carton.

It may be noted that, while the partition portions 28 will generally be desired to assume positions at right angles to the walls of the carton, yet if for any reason it is so preferred, they may be so mounted as to extend transversely of the carton space, but at some angle other than a right angle with respect to the carton walls. This may be accomplished, for example, by moving the angularly-positioned fold line 37 (as shown in FIG. 5) to another angular position, such as shown by the dotted line 37', whereupon the corresponding partition portion will assume an angular position, such as indicated by the dotted line 28'.

It will be understood that, if desired, instead of forming the blank as shown in FIG. 1 with extension portions as at 22, 23 integral with the top edge of the wall panel 13, similar portions may be formed separately and adhered to, if preferred, or otherwise afiixed in position on the wall of the carton, instead of folding over integrally formed portions.

Also, it will be understood that, if preferred, the positions of the bottom panel 12 and wall panel 13 may be interchanged with respect to the divider portions 28 and their mountings. That is, in that event in substance the view of FIG. 5 would be looking toward a side wall panel instead of the bottom panel, and the portions 28, instead of swinging up into active position from a wall panel, would swing up from a bottom panel.

In each of these cases, the general principles of construction and operation are substantially the same, and may be sumarized as folows: one edge of the partition portion 28 (which may be termed the base edge) is connected as along a crease or fold line (as at 31) to one of the panels of the carton (for example the wall panel 13 as shown in FIG. 1). Another edge of the partition portion 28, viz. what may be termed a side edge, is connected as by a crease line 32 to web portions (such as indicated at 29 and 27 in FIG. 1) and these web portions are formed with an intermediate diagonal fold or crease line therebetween, as at 37, a part of the web means (at least the part such as indicated at 27') being positioned to remain fiatwise against another panel of the carton, for example the bottom panel 12 in the embodiment indicated in FIG. 1. Thus when the panel (at at 13) is moved to a position at right angles to the other panel (as at 12), the Web portions as they become relatively folded along diagonal line 37, will pull or swing the partition portion 28 to a position at right angles to the first panel portion, or at least to a position transversely thereof, depending upon the angle at which the diagonal fold line is located.

Although certain particular embodiments of the invention are herein disclosed for purposes of explanation, further modifications thereof, after study of this specification, will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. Reference should accordingly be had to the appended claims in determining the scope of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a folding carton blank formed of panels of sheet material joined along longitudinal fold. lines, a portion for forming a transversely-extending divider in the carton, said portion being retained along a fold line at its base edge, with respect to a first of said panels, such fold line extending transversely of the panel, said portion being applied to and normally extending generally fiatwise of said first panel before the blank is erected to form a carton, a side edge of said portion being connected along a fold line to web portions which are applied to and normally extend substantially fiatwise of a second of said panels, said web portions being joined at a crease line extending from said base edge fold line diagonally of said second panel, whereby when the carton is being erected and said first panel is swung into upstanding relation to said second panel, said web portions will become folded over upon each other along said diagonal crease line and cause said divider portion to swing to a position extending transversely of the space within the carton.

2. A carton blank in accordance, with the foregoing claim 1 and in which at least two of said divider portions are provided for forming spaced-apart transverse partitions in the carton, said divider portions being applied to said first panel in positions to swing in opposite directions into their respective operative positions transversely of the carton when the carton is being erected.

3. A carton blank in accordance with the foregoing claim 1 and which is formed with an integral extension at one edge of said first panel, said extension being foldable along said edge over onto said first panel and partly onto said second panel, such extension including integral areas comprising said divider portion and said web portions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,664,234 12/1953 Burger 22928 2,879,934 3/ 1959 Flynn 229-28 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

R. PESCHOCK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A FOLDING CARTON BLANK FORMED OF PANELS OF SHEET MATERIAL JOINED ALONG LONGITUDINAL FOLD LINES, A PORTION FOR FORMING A TRANSVERSELY-EXTENDING DIVIDER IN THE CARTON, SAID PORTION BEING RETAINED ALONG A FOLD LINE AT ITS BASE EDGE, WITH RESPECT TO A FIRST OF SAID PANELS, SUCH FOLD LINE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE PANEL, SAID PORTION BEING APPLIED TO AND NORMALLY EXTENDING GENERALLY FLATWISE OF SAID FIRST PANEL BEFORE THE BLANK IS ERECTED TO FORM A CARTON, A SIDE EDGE OF SAID PORTION BEING CONNECTED ALONG A FOLD LINE TO WEB PORTIONS WHICH ARE APPLIED TO AND NORMALLY EXTEND SUBSTANTIALLY FLATWISE OF A SECOND OF SAID PANELS, SAID WEB PORTIONS BEING JOINED AT A CREASE LINE EXTENDING FROM SAID BASE EDGE FOLD LINE DIAGONALLY OF SAID SECOND PANEL, WHEREBY WHEN THE CARTON IS BEING ERECTED AND SAID FIRST PANEL IS SWUNG INTO UPSTANDING RELATION TO SAID SECOND PANEL, SAID WEB PORTIONS WILL BECOME FOLDED OVER UPON EACH OTHER ALONG SAID DIAGONAL CREASE LINE AND CAUSE SAID DIVIDER PORTION TO SWING TO A POSITION EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE SPACE WITHIN THE CARTON. 